Truly Useful Invention Often when I read about new innovations, it makes me want to smack the side of my head and say "Duh". They just seem so necessary and so simple and so 'why didn't I (or someone) think of that before?'

Well, today, I found one of those again, but this one is so amazing in that it has the potential to change millions of lives forever. It's not one of those, for $14.99, plus shipping and handling, you can have one of these. Or, if you act right now, you can have two for the price of one. And then, after the first use, it ends up in your closet along with the rest of the junk you have bought. It's a giant leap forward in helping people who are blind live much more self-sufficient lives.

It's a handheld device that takes a photo of printed words - for example, a menu - and then reads the words aloud. The device was unveiled this week at the National Federation for the Blind convention. It was created by inventor Ray Kurzweil in conjunction with the Federation. The Kurzweil-National Federation for the Blind Reader, (needs a marketing type to give it a snazzy name), looks like a PDA attached to a camera. Imagine being able to read your mail unaided for the first time in your life? A truly remarkable breakthrough. The only barrier left to hurdle - how to cover the cost - $,3495 each - for every blind person out there. But then that's all about how individuals and nations set their priorities.

Gillian Parrillo The Sacramento Executive Click to Open Web Page